1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system and methods to access computer files and position and control application window(s) on a Graphical User Interface
2. Prior Art
The present invention relates generally to the control and display of a window or a plurality of windows on the computer display screen of a graphical user windowing environment.
Using a graphical user interface (GUI) with a conventional multitasking operating system, a computer user typically opens numerous graphical application windows containing documents, Web pages, help information, pictures, e-mail, instant messaging, database information and other content.
As he/she works, the computer user will toggle between the various graphical windows. However, as the user opens other application windows, the user's original graphical application window may become partially or totally obscured by one or more other application windows that the computer user opens as illustrated in FIG. 1. Other application windows that the user was working with get ‘lost’ behind all the other windows.
Concisely stated, the problem encountered with conventional GUI's is that management of multiple windows is awkward, slow and imprecise so that the information contained in the graphical application windows is frequently not visible, not usable, or unavailable to the user when and where he/she needs it.
Prior Art offers a variety of tools to help the computer operator. These include the Microsoft Task Manager FIG. 2 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,371) that lists application windows on the desktop 21; U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,490 that helps users locate desired windows; and the Macintosh Finder that enables a user to view a graphical representation of the files open on the desktop. Both these ‘task managers’ allow a user to select an open application, switch to it, or to minimize, maximize, close or tile it. But, these task managers both require several steps to switch to and size an application 21, are not easy to control via voice or a couple of keystrokes, only allow limited sizing and positioning options 22, only list open programs and documents and do not even allow for simple control of the programs/documents that are listed.
If the computer user chooses to switch to a graphical application FIG. 3, the newly activated graphical window may be poorly positioned, cover up anther document being referenced or have the wrong size 31, necessitating the computer user to resize and reposition the window.
If the computer user merely wished to view the content of a graphical application, prior art offers no relief. The computer user first needs to switch to the graphical application, then resize it so it doesn't cover up the user's working application, then place focus back into the user's working application.
Prior Art ‘task managers’ also offer little help to a computer user who wishes to position a plurality of graphical application windows on a computer display or displays. A computer user who wishes to position a plurality of application windows so that they can be viewed simultaneously needs to individually size and position each graphical window.
Similarly, prior art file management programs such as Windows Explorer, offer little help to a user who wishes to open a plurality of computer readable files and position them so they can be simultaneously viewed.
For example, a computer user who is writing an e-mail in a first application window and wishes to copy some material contained in a word processing document open on the desktop may need to go through the following steps:
Bring up the task manager to identify the word processing document; switch to a document in a second application window and realize that he/she has switched to the wrong document; bring up the task manager again; switch to the correct document a third application window; scroll through the document and find some of the desired text; select & copy it; minimize the third application window to facilitate switching back to the first application window; realize that the second application window is obscuring the first application window; minimize the second application window; click back into the first application window to give it focus; move down to your original position and finally paste the text.
Many other solutions are offered in the prior art, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,025,841, 6,473,102, 5,191,644, 6,353,436, 5,564,002, and 5,657,463. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,841 provides a continuous, automatic adjustment to the window size and position of a selected (topmost) window by monitoring a user's interaction with a computer system. This may prevent a window from getting lost (even if the computer user may want to temporarily cover it up), but it doesn't guarantee that it's going to be in a useful location and that the right content is available to the user when and where he/she wants to see it.
No prior art solves the problem encountered with conventional GUI's. Management of multiple windows remains awkward, slow and imprecise so that the information contained in the graphical application windows is frequently not visible, not usable, or unavailable to the user when and where he/she needs it.
Prior art speech recognition technology merely substitutes speech commands for keyboard and mouse commands and has not solved any of the issues of switching between or positioning one or more application windows, losing focus and obstruction of the computer user's view of his or her first application. Prior art speech recognition technology usually makes it more difficult for a user to switch to and control his/her graphical application windows than keyboarding or mousing and much more difficult to navigate through a computer's drive, directory and subdirectory structure to find and open the needed files and objects by voice.
There remains a need to provide an efficient and simple technique for enabling a user easily and quickly locate, size and position open application windows and computer readable files in a graphical user interface windowing environment so that the information contained in the graphical application windows is visible, usable, and available to the user when and where he/she needs it.
The present invention solves this problem.